Heretofore it has been customary to use a mounting apparatus equipped with a placement machine for the mounting of an electronic component on a circuit board. At first, an electronic component is sucked by a suction nozzle disposed in the placement machine whereupon the electronic component is attracted to the suction face of the suction nozzle. After that, the electronic component is conveyed, while being maintained in an attracted state, so as to be mounted at a predetermined position of a circuit board. In order to mount the electronic component accurately at the predetermined position of the circuit board, the mounting apparatus includes optical devices to grasp the shape of the electronic component and electrode positions (hereafter referred to as “detection of electronic component position”).
The optical devices as mentioned herein include an illuminating device, a CCD camera, an image analyzer connected to the CCD camera, and so forth. Detection of electronic component position using the optical devices is effected in the following manner. To begin with, light is applied to the electronic component from the illuminating device. Next, the CCD camera receives light reflected from the electronic component. Then, the image analyzer analyzes the reflected light received by the CCD camera. The detection of electronic component position is achieved through the above-described sequential operation, whereby, for example, a position of the electronic component is corrected.
Thus, the detection of electronic component position is effected through the analysis of reflected light from the electronic component. The electronic component has a white color tone, wherefore a suction nozzle having a black color tone is utilized.
Known zirconia-toughened alumina ceramics has a black color tone.